Polyunsaturated fatty acids like EPA and DHA have attracted a great attention due to their beneficial effects on human health. At present, fish oil is the major source of EPA and DHA. Various alternative sources are being explored to get these essential fatty acids. Genes encoding enzymes involved in the biosyntheses of PUFAs have been identified, cloned and gene prospecting becomes a novel method for enhanced PUFA production. Desaturase and elongase genes have important biotechnological appeal from genetic engineering point of view. This review highlights the research and results on such enzymes.

中文翻译：

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多不饱和脂肪酸：生物技术。

诸如EPA和DHA之类的多不饱和脂肪酸由于其对人体健康的有益作用而备受关注。目前，鱼油是EPA和DHA的主要来源。正在探索各种替代来源以获得这些必需脂肪酸。已经鉴定，克隆了编码参与PUFA的生物合成的酶的基因，基因探查成为增强PUFA生产的新方法。从基因工程的观点来看，去饱和酶和延伸酶基因具有重要的生物技术吸引力。这篇综述重点介绍了这种酶的研究和结果。